We were so, so excited to be able to spend a few days in Disneyland this year for the holiday season! As much as we’d love to make this a yearly tradition, it’s such a big trip that last year we weren’t able to make it work, so to be able to enjoy the festivities this year made it extra special! Christmas at Disneyland is unlike anything else, and is our absolute favorite way to celebrate the season. We love revisiting traditions as well as experiencing new ones, and this year was another amazing visit, full of beautiful lights, festive music and some seriously yummy holiday treats.
We planned out our few days full of fun, and Nolan had been counting down on his Countdown to Disney chain for weeks. Once the day finally came, he was ecstatic about heading out to Disney! Unfortunately, he wasn’t quite prepared for the drive to be quite so long! Luckily, he and Acelyn did so well on the drive down, playing and taking some naps on the way. *Note to anyone traveling with littles… two words: WINDOW CLINGS. Nolan played with window clings for 40 minutes on our drive, during our downtime getting ready in the hotel and still is playing with them now that we’re back at home. Best. invention. ever!
When we stopped for lunch at Burger King in Barstow (classy, I know), Acelyn surprised me by identifying the fly on the window. I had no idea she even knew that word, but apparently she wanted to make it well known that she found a fly! Videos like this make me wonder how she’s gotten so big so quickly!
We finally made it to Anaheim, checked into our hotel, changed and packed up for the park for the afternoon and evening. We decided to start in Disney California Adventure, where Acelyn and Nolan dressed the part in their favorite Monster’s Inc. themed outfits. As soon as we entered, we were greeted by the giant Christmas tree on Buena Vista Street, and Nolan immediately asked to take pictures next to it. There were bubbles blowing everywhere, and Acelyn was in heaven, shouting “Bubb-ooos!” over and over again. Once they saw the train underneath, pictures were a mute point and all interest was focused on that choo-choo!
Across the street, Minnie made her way out, and we jumped right in the front of the line to meet her (what perfect timing)! I had a feeling how Acelyn would do with characters… and she confirmed my assumption by being a bit stand-offish… walking up to Minnie slowly and not quite going all the way up to her to say hi. I had to help out a little and show her that her favorite Minnie was a-okay…. but she still wasn’t quite convinced! Nolan on the other hand loved every second of his Minnie time, and was so excited to have been able to meet her as soon as we entered the park.
First up on our walk through DCA, was, fittingly, Monster’s Inc. The kids love this movie and Acelyn’s absolute favorite Disney character is Sulley, so I was excited to see her reaction to this area of the park. She freaked as soon as she saw the Monsters logo, and as soon as I let her down, she ran straight to Boo’s door. Unfortunately, Sulley wasn’t out meeting guests, and the ride was temporarily closed, so we had a quick photoshoot before moving on to other rides and having to come back later to enjoy Mike and Sulley to the Rescue. We pretty much had to drag Acelyn away, and as we were going, she kept yelling, "Mo Mo! Mo Mo!” (for Monsters!) and “Suuhhhh” (for Sulley). It was the cutest and saddest thing ever, but her mind was quickly distracted as we made our way into A Bugs Land.
For our first ride, we kept with tradition and chose Flik’s Flyers, which happened to be Nolan’s first ever Disneyland/DCA ride the last time we visited. Both kiddos were pumped to get on, and spent our five minute wait in line hopped up with excitement, waiting patiently. Once we started, Nolan was thrilled and Acelyn wasn’t quite sure what to think! The look on her face was priceless, trying to figure out exactly what was going on, but you could tell she had a secret liking behind that worry! From there on, she was hooked on rides, and totally grasped the concept that when we were waiting in line, it was to get on another one that she was totally ready for!
The kids entertained each other while we waited in line for Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train, and after another short wait, it was all aboard and off we went! After, Nolan got to ride the bumper cars for the first time with Daddy, while Acelyn snacked on the sidelines and kept Mommy busy chasing her around.
We made our way over to Little Mermaid, which was another win for both kids and they were hooked on all the activity, especially in the Under the Sea room.
We finally made our way back over to Mike and Sulley and Acelyn was able to experience Monster’s to the fullest. She was obsessed with all of the pictures through the wait in line, and entertained herself with a lollipop since it was a little bit of a wait. Once we were on the ride, she was in awe and was constantly looking all around to take it all in. She waved at Sulley every time she saw him, and definitely wanted to go right back on as soon as we got off. Instead, we took a pause in our evening to grab some dinner. On our walk over, we stopped at the lighted tree on Buena Vista Street, which is so much more gorgeous in person, and had some pictures taken with the Photo Pass cast members. I died when the kiddos decided to be adorable together and actually smile for the photographer… something they definitely don’t do for me!
We stopped for dinner at Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta, and then grabbed a churro before heading on to King Triton’s Carousel.
Afterwards, we walked through Cars Land, which is so gorgeous lit up at night. Most of the rides were longer waits and Acelyn wasn’t tall enough (by like, .5”!) so we passed on catching any of the rides, and crossed our fingers for a Fast Pass in the morning for Radiator Springs Racers (which never happened, boo). Even without riding any rides, Nolan was still thrilled to see Mater drive by us and both kids (and us) absolutely loved all the lights and holiday feels in Cars Land! Sooo pretty!
We stopped by A Bugs Land one more time and rode Francis’ Ladybug Boogie, since the line was literally a zero minute wait, and Acelyn about died with laughter while Nolan screamed his little lungs out! The first time he rode this ride two years ago, he was terrified! So glad he enjoyed all the rides this year and wasn’t scared. I 100% expected Acelyn to enjoy most of the rides since she’s a little thrill seeker at home, so to see her face light up when we spun over and over again was the best!
On our walk out, we decided to stop by Monster’s one more time since there was a short wait time, and Acelyn was so excited to see we were going back for round two! She was just as serious riding through, and this ride was definitely one of her favorites!
It was getting late (9PM), and with the kids barely napping on the drive down and an early morning breakfast scheduled the next day, we made our way back to the hotel to get some much needed rest! Acelyn passed out instantly as soon as we left the park gates and made our quick walk back to the hotel, and we geared up for our big day #2 in Disneyland!
...Stay tuned for more to come!
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